Once again I apologise for any difficulties, but I wanted to merge the forums most closely into the remainder of the site content. There is a fully rethought version of the templates in the pipeline which will improve usability and provide a pared down template for cellphones and smaller tablets – no sidebar, drop down navigation etc.

Admin, Still seems to be wierd things going on here.
Is there some reason I cant see the latest posts (the “latest updates” list changes) unless im logged in?
Conversely if I am not logged in I can see the most recent post which is called “Clothing”!!

Teak, This is how I post a photo – I’m sure there are far easier ways but this works for me.

Set up a free photo sharing account such as imgur.com. Upload your photo from computer to your imgur account. While in imgur, select photo you wish to upload to Archiseek. Copy the link to your photo by clicking the icon next to ‘BBcode (message boards & forums)’

Back on the Archiseek forum, Click the ‘img’ icon above. A Prompt will appear:

Delete the ‘http://’ so that the prompt box is cleared. Now paste your link in the prompt box, and delete the sets of brackets either side of the link. Click OK and give the photo a description.

When finished posting, click the ‘Submit’ icon below. You can still edit the post or delete content for a while afterwards. (A ‘Preview Post’ would be handy here). By the way, if you delete photos from the photo sharing account, they will also be deleted from your Archiseek post as far as I know.

Clinch, Unfortunately, several spam accounts have been present the last while and is probably putting a lot of people off posting. Maybe Paul could block these accounts?

But really we should be able to upload images without any great hassle, like in most other – much sillier – forums.
Can I propose our beleaguered forum moderator set up some means by which we all can send him a tenner or two ?
A PayPal button or something – would that we possible here or would it involve additional expense ?
This Obama-style fundraising might be the solution to both his ongoing hosting issues and our desire to enthuse on the form of our built environment.

Of course, I understand that even a tenner or two may beyond some members.
You only have to look at the architects’ professional body to see the dramatic effect of our present recession.
With a membership of ~ 2,000 paying €490 (€245 hardship) they only have a yearly income of ~ €750,000.
After salaries & expenses of admin staff and elected executive are taken out of that figure the balance remaining for events must be cat’s portion.

No wonder they were so much more content to let Graham Dwyer to pay his fees and remain on their register even while he remained under remand in prison – and therefore physically unavailable for work.
In fact if you check right now on

Of course people go through phases of posting/contributing enthusiastically and lurking or losing interest in a subject but it’s hard to believe that the sorry state of the forum for the last few years can be blamed on the normal ebb and flow of individual interest. Nor do I believe the property bust can be blamed as many topics had little to do with new building projects and I recall the forum remaining quite active for a few years after 2008. It’s sad, considering what a vibrant source of news and interesting debate this place was a few years ago.

I don’t like to be critical – as I don’t spend time or money maintaining the forum even if I did post regularly – but I believe that the multiple changes of forum software have been a significant factor in the decline. Any UI change imposes a significant re-learning cost on users – particularly regular users who are more likely to be contributors. This is on top of the inevitable teething issues any new software deployment will experience. Also older links to posts and threads from 3rd party websites are now broken cutting off a source of potential new members. (Even links within older forum posts are broken damaging the forum’s utility.)

Forum interest realistically can’t pick up till the majority of members – whom I believe are employed in the architecture/engineering/design/construction trades – start to get some traction in their own work situations.
When someone is worried about making enough to support their household then their spending time on non-revenue generating things is mad.

On the forum management side, loss of activity means loss of ad revenue.
No advertiser will pay to put ads in a forum that is only animated by discussion of Dutch Billies and the state of Irish churches.

Result – no money by Admin to run this thing properly.
And that is presupposing that Admin himself is keeping his own economic head above water in these tough times and has the time to run the site.

If we want to retain this Archiseek website and forums, then we have to start throwing the odd tenner in Admin’s direction.
Only then will he be able to buy decent (tech supported) hosting.
With that much at least he may be able to go to the Arts or Heritage people and seek some external funding.

Well, I’d gladly contribute financially if it meant saving the forum – there are plenty of buildings going up and major planning decisions being made currently that would have had the old Archiseek board ‘buzzing’

Is there an issue of loss of control here ?
Maybe there are concerns in prospect related to democratic governance, budget committees and procedures . . .

If not, why not enable a DONATE button on the top of the forum page ?

A tenner a head from most members would buy excellent hosting, easily cover the development costs of a satisfactory website, provide more effective forums with straightforward image uploading, enable surveys of members’ views on things and – not least – allow removal of those Russian Bride ads.

Another tenner a head and we can have a discussion about how to move things really forward on this website . . .

But that’s all for the Admin, of course.
Just like removing Dwyer from the current register is a matter exclusively for the RIAI senior administrators.
Just had an idea about this.
Maybe the RIAI want to create a precedent in allowing a membership to stand despite criminal imprisonment so as to prevent civilly imprisoned architects (in for signing off on a faulty design à la the New Building Regs) having gaps in their professional records . . .